Boys and Girls Review
by Jerry Saravia (Faust667 AT aol DOT com)March 16th, 2001
BOYS AND GIRLS
Reviewed on March 11th, 2001
By Jerry Saravia
"Boys and Girls" is the kind of teen movie that has been done repeatedly to death - boy finds girl, boy becomes best friends with girl, boy finds new girl, girl finds new boy, original boy and girl have sex, boy and girl see mistake in this, boy and girl decide to be together, etc. If it were not for the entertaining, credible performances by the leads, I would have said: skip this!
Freddie Prinze, Jr. is Ryan Walker, a nerdy, high-school whiz with prospects of majoring in structural engineering. Claire Forlani is Jennifer Burrows, a bright girl who aspires to major in Latin and then go to Italy for graduate studies. Ryan doesn't like to be called dumb and doesn't go out much. Jennifer does not believe in commitment, and uses Latin phrases constantly. There is no reason in the world for Ryan and Jennifer to be together, but they keep running into each other every few years before finally becoming best friends in college.
Ryan's college roomate is Hunter aka Steve (Jason Biggs), a foolhardy court jester whose idea of humor is to stay locked inside a trunk and surprise people. He has trouble finding girls, no doubt due to his repeatedly dyed hair. Jennifer's college roomate is Amy (Amanda Detmer), who grows jealous of Jennifer's friendship with Ryan since Amy had dated him. Amy also sees a psychiatrist.
Okay, so how could I possibly like this film at all, you may ask. It is after all the tired cliche of how friends of the opposite sex can't be friends if they have sex - the critics were right in calling this a junior league "When Harry Met Sally." Of course, and I am not sure I would call this a spoiler alert, they do stay together as more than just friends. But what if they didn't? What if director Robert Iscove (who helmed the atrocious "She's All That") chose a different path? What if the filmmakers proceeded along uncharted territory, along the lines of the penultimate twist that occurs in the film between Jennifer and Amy? Unfortunately, that twist is settled in an awkward dialogue exchange that is too safe a solution to inspire much drama.
Still, how could I like this film? Well, much to my surprise, I found genuine chemistry between Prinze and Forlani. Freddie Prinze may be a hottie to teenage girls of today but he strikes me as being so mild-mannered as to make Clark Kent jealous. Yet in "Boys and Girls," he comes alive thanks to his rapport with Forlani and especially Hunter. Not casting Rachael Leigh Cook in this film was beneficial indeed.
Forlani has not interested me in her choice of movies lately but she does well here, exuding radiance and true beauty as she did in "The Last Time I Committed Suicide" and "Basquiat." Another plus is that she does not look like Ally McBeal and there is something to be said for that.
As for Jason Biggs, well, he is on his way to major movie stardom if he wants it. He had a great lead performance in "American Pie," and here, he delivers his one-liners with enough energy and subtlety to rival even Ben Stiller. He is such a comic force that I wish there were more of him (though we get a further glimpse during the end credits).
"Boys and Girls" is virtually free of all the current trends in teenage fare - there are no sexually scatalogical jokes, no gross-out humor, and hardly anything too juvenile. The film is often sensitive and emotionally true, though there are some melodramatic lulls at the end. Nonetheless, "Boys and Girls" is sweet, innocent fun that makes you wish it were so much more.
Note: In this age of postmodernism, "Boys and Girls" does feature a scene where the lead characters enter a movie theatre showing "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club," which this film resembles in both cases.
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